It's unlikely that Jacques Martin and Bob Gainey wanted to see what their team looked like without power play quarterback Andrei Markov. Unfortunately for Martin and Gainey, Markov has been out since the first game of the season in Toronto.
Although it has been a roller coaster ride for the Canadiens since, Gainey and Martin now have a much clearer picture of their team, particularly at the blue line, without Markov.
Simply put, that picture is not a pretty one.
The Canadiens sit 24th in the league in power play efficiency, with a 15.9% success rate. This stat is in large part due to the absence of Andrei Markov, a lock for 55 plus points when healthy.
The rest of the defensive squad has been unable to to step up to the plate on the offensive side of the puck, with the exception of Marc-Andre Bergeron, who has infused some offense into the power play.
Besides Bergeron, the Canadiens possess no true offensive defenseman, at least not on the big league club.
Jaroslav Spacek was advertised as Markov's new partner before the season, but has provided virtually no offense at all throughout the first quarter of t ...
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Article written by Felix Sicard
Battered Blue Line to Blame for Montreal Canadiens Power Play Woes
November 20th, 2009 by Felix Sicard Leave a reply »
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